![Tree House II](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7596/17026248062_4132fabdd9.jpg)
I even set up a solitary bee house and managed a few shots of a female Mason bee as she was about to start her day.
![New Apartment II](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5345/17640214842_c55dc97e5f.jpg)
The weather was mild through April and May and I found a Wool Carder bee sleeping in my lavender.
![Wool Carder Bee Series 1-1](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5346/17796463889_4df0c666ce.jpg)
I was determined to push the limits of what I could do with the subjects that I photograph, so as it woke up I held the lavender close to another flower that I had fastened in a clamp and to my surprise the bee climbed right onto it.
![Wool Carder Bee Series 1-5](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8758/17975402108_6fc8f0cf41.jpg)
It would even occasionally go back to sleep.
![Nap Time](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/753/22827137010_e8c8c16302.jpg)
From June through August the weather was hot and humid, and just about everything was hyperactive before the sun came up. I had to find a way to take photographs in the heat of the day, and one way to get the critters to let me get close is to bait them. I used a mix of sugar and water, but ended up adding a little artificial nectar mix to the syrup because they seemed to like it better. They won't always let me get close, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort to get an image out of my mind and into the camera. But patience pays off...
![Finger Fed Bumblebee](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5777/22090031715_7ea40875da.jpg)
I have a triangle in my head and at each point there is composition and technique, lighting, and post processing. If I feel like one of those three is getting weak in comparison to the other two then I spin that point to the top and work on it. Sometimes improving on one aspect forces me to make changes to another (like when I change my lighting I have to change my post processing to take advantage of it). For 2016 I'm going to keep spinning that triangle, and keep pushing the limits of what I can to with the gear and the subjects. But most of all I'm going to continue to have fun :)
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